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Rwanda Ex-Military Chiefs Found Guilty of Genocide


Former Maj. Gen. Augustin Bizimungu, right, commander of the Rwandan armed forces during the 1994 genocide, listens in a courtroom as the indictment on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity is read out against him (File)
Former Maj. Gen. Augustin Bizimungu, right, commander of the Rwandan armed forces during the 1994 genocide, listens in a courtroom as the indictment on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity is read out against him (File)

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has convicted two former military chiefs for their role in the country's 1994 genocide.

The court in Arusha, Tanzania on Tuesday found former army chief Augustin Bizimungu guilty of genocide charges and sentenced him to 30 years in prison.

Judges ruled the former army chief conspired to exterminate Rwanda's Tutsi population and had complete control over soldiers and militia who were involved in the killings.

According to court documents, Bizimungu instructed his men to begin killing Tutsis and to start in their own neighborhoods.

The tribunal also convicted the former head of the military police, Augustin Ndindiliyimana, but released him, saying he had limited command over his men and was opposed to the killing.

The former military police chief had already spent 11 years in jail.

Also Tuesday, the tribunal found two other army officers guilty of crimes against humanity for an attack that led to the death of Belgian U.N. peacekeepers.

Extremist Rwandan Hutus killed an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus people during the 1994 genocide.

The tribunal was established to try those considered most responsible for the three-month killing spree.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

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